Featured album /// Bombay Bicycle Club ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ 2014

We all love bands versatile and able to surprise us with their music finds. London indie outfit Bombay Bicycle Club are exactly this kind of band. Having four albums under their belts, the band never rest on their laurels and never fail to surprise. If you still haven’t been bitten by the Bombay Bicycle Club bug, you’re half way there: the band’s latest offering ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ will happily take you into the loving embrace of their music.

Bombay Bicycle Club themselves referred to ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ as a very experimental record. Hardly a new trick for the band who have already toyed with indie pop, acoustic and psychedelia all on different albums, with all the efforts being very successful. Talented band are talented in everything, you see. But what is behind this constant desire to change? Simple. Bombay Bicycle Club challenge themselves and their listeners to keep music fun and engaging. Full stop.

‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ takes the band’s experiments to a new level. For it Bombay Bicycle Club minimised the presence of guitars and put synths and loops in the limelight. This accounts for a very hypnotic, ethereal feel of the whole album leaning towards electronic spirits with some stunning instrumentation. Once the album starts, you immediately get sucked into its unearthly atmosphere. ‘Overdone’ does the job perfectly with divine vocals of Jack Steadman and quick shifts from transparency to intensity. ‘It’s Alright Now’ is airy and magical, as if coming from Wonderland and meditative moods of ‘Home By Now’ with a touch of melancholy are complemented by beautiful vocal performance from Lucy Rose. Sharp, upbeat ‘Carry Me’ contrasts dramatically with mysterious, magnetic ‘Luna’ graced by the stunning vocals of Rae Morris and title track ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ puts a dreamy close to the fantastically beautiful record.

‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ is a great example of the record eclectic and thus utterly enjoyable. Bombay Bicycle Club skillfully mix ethnic motives, euphoric melodies, upbeat sharpness, dance beats and cast a spell on it with a touch of music magic which makes it the listening on a different – elevated – level. Written after Jack Steadman’s trips around Turkey, India and Japan, it has a touch of open-mindedness and overwhelming enthusiasm, typical of all memorable journeys. It seems there are no boundaries to this record, when with each listen something new unveils and puts ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ deeper into your heart. Listening to this record is like exploring a country you know and love anew – no matter how many times you’ve been there, there’s always something else to discover.

Bombay Bicycle Club once again showed their ability to sound new, refreshing and always exciting. ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ is a splendid album from the talented band, who ditch boredom and thrive for constant development in music. Join in the fun.